The Microfluidics “Revolution”

By now, bio-medical laboratories should have moved to storage their mass spectrometers, flow cytometers, and blood analyzers and replaced them with microfluidic devices, as predicted in the 1980s. But that hasn’t happened—at least not as foreseen. Instead, earlier technologies are reliable “friends” to senior investigators and remain in place, while younger scientists invent their own tools of discovery. This piece reflects the evolution of microfluidics, while future generations may look back on what seemed to be a revolution in our time. MORE